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AAI will host its 20th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference on November 5, 2026, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The conference will feature a series of panel discussions on timely topics with experts and thought-leaders from across the antitrust community.
The conference will be followed by AAI Awards Night at Hamilton Live located across the street at 600 14th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005.
Young Lawyers Breakfast
Building a successful antitrust career takes more than mastering the law—it requires identifying opportunities, developing expertise, and making yourself indispensable. In this candid conversation, rising antitrust lawyers will share how they found meaningful roles on cases, carved out their own areas of expertise, built relationships with mentors, peers, and clients, and established their professional reputations early in their careers. Whether you’re looking to gain more courtroom experience, develop a niche, or simply take the next step in your career, this interactive breakfast discussion will provide practical advice and real-world perspectives from lawyers who have recently navigated a similar path.
Continental Breakfast
Welcome and Overview
Crossing the Expert Economist: Winning Strategies for Depositions, Trial, and Arbitration
Expert testimony from economists can make or break an antitrust case, but effective cross-examination requires different strategies depending on the forum and the context. This interactive skills session will explore how to prepare for and execute expert cross-examinations in depositions, jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. Experienced trial lawyers and testifying economists will highlight what works—and what doesn’t—when challenging economic experts.
Break
Algorithms, AI, and Agreement: Proving Collusion in the Digital Age
As artificial intelligence and pricing algorithms become increasingly sophisticated, courts and litigants are confronting new questions about whether, and if so under what circumstances, corporate use of these tools can constitute an unlawful agreement under the antitrust laws. This panel will examine the latest developments in algorithmic pricing cases, and how AI may complicate traditional theories of, and the types of evidence necessary to demonstrate, agreement. Panelists will discuss recent decisions, emerging litigation trends, and what practitioners should expect as technology continues to outpace existing legal frameworks.
Networking Break
Luncheon
Everything Old Is New Again: Reviving Classic Antitrust Precedent for Modern Litigation
There are many pro-enforcement Supreme Court and appellate decisions that remain controlling law, but for a variety of reasons have fallen out of favor—until recently. This panel will explore how private and governmental practitioners are successfully relying on longstanding precedents involving tying, market definition, summary judgment, and other foundational issues in today’s cases. From Brown Shoe Co. v. United States to Northern Pacific Railway Co. v. United States and beyond, panelists will discuss why these classic decisions remain relevant, how courts are applying them today, and what younger practitioners should know about the enduring foundations of antitrust law.
Break
The New Battleground: Article III Standing in Antitrust Class Action Litigation
Article III standing has emerged as one of the most consequential threshold issues in modern antitrust class actions. With courts, including the Supreme Court, invoking common proof of standing across a class as a possible barrier to class certification, practitioners must be prepared to litigate these issues from the outset of a case. This panel will examine recent developments, discuss how standing arguments vary across different substantive antitrust claims, and explore practical strategies for both plaintiffs and defendants. Attendees will gain insight into why many litigators now view standing as a key procedural battleground in antitrust class actions.
